Brief:
T' Space Ark was t' spaceship that took t' lucky few people t' a new world in t' 1951 classic movie When Worlds Collide. Well, blow me down! This perfect replica kit fits well in t' your collection o' "retro" kits or anti-3FNC kits. This kit flies on G and H motors and comes with a nice nylon (oversized) chute.

Construction:
This kit looks deceptively simple t' build. There is one body tube, a nose cone, me hearties, ya bilge rat, a tail cone, me bucko, a motor mount and some fins. Ahoy! It does come with a nice nylon parachute and even a sample o' their "Bod Wad" ejection wading.

T' fins, rudder, me hearties, and wings are made o' nice aircraft plywood. Ahoy! T' nose cone and tail cone are made from sturdy plastic. Blimey! This kit has nice pre-shaped fin pods. (All spaceships from t' 50's had t' cheesy fin pods that did absolutely nothing.) Roundin' out t' parts list is a set o' decals and a nice nylon chute.

Read this directions before you start. Begad! Blimey! I know you have heard this before, but this time, do it. Avast, me proud beauty! This does nay go together like anythin' I have ever built and I almost got caught a couple times. When it says t' put t' motor mount in with t' recovery strap facin' up, do it. You will be sorry if you don't.

As with all Pemtech kits, matey, t' instructions are written like a great Mel Brooks movie with tons o' tongue in cheek humor. Avast! Blimey! That aside, me bucko, they are well written and come with several pages o' full color pictures.

OK, arrr, matey, I deviated from t' destructions in a few areas. It's nay that I know better, arrr, arrr, shiver me timbers, it just that I like t' do things different. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Besides; it's me rocket and I can do what ever I want. Avast!

The kit comes with a nifty motor retainer, me bucko, however, matey, I chose nay t' install it. This made for an easier build and allowed for more motor options.

I also didn't use t' expandin' foam. Begad! Since t' fins in t' boat tail are epoxied directly t' t' motor mount, I figured that t' foam will only add weight. (Besides, ya bilge rat, I didn't have any.) I used a thick epoxy containin' colloidal silica for this and applied heavy fillets for good measure.

I don't like brass lugs. Aye aye! This kit comes with a great 1/4" x 3" long brass launch lug. Blimey! I didn't use it and went with a cardboard one instead. Aye aye!

I'd say t' most difficult part o' t' build was cuttin' t' slots in the tail cone for t' fins. Ahoy! Blimey! T' HDPE (plastic for you non-chemists out there) is tough t' cut cleanly. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty!

Finishing:
Finishin' was nay too bad. Avast! If you have ever done t' heavy plastic nose cones you know what you're in for there. Well, blow me down! T' body tube didn't match too well with the tail cone and nose cone so I had t' use a little filler there. Blimey! I didn't attempt to paint it with t' chrome paint that is seen on their website. Begad! I just used Rustoleum Metallic Silver for it. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! It comes with some really groovy decals, but I didn't put them on until after t' first flight.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' first flight be on a G40-7W. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I think it be slightly underpowered because it did a corkscrew kind o' thin' on t' way up. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! A G80 would have been more appropriate. Ahoy! Blimey! T' delay was long but nay too bad. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Recovery was otherwise perfect. H242T was used for t' second flight. Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! This thin' ripped off the pad with authority. Begad!

Recovery:
I didn't think I would ever see it again, arrr, but as good rockets sometimes do, me bucko, it drifted back within 500' o' t' pad under a full chute. That was a great flight but I don't think I'll do that again.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I really like this kit. Like t' 3FNC I have from Pemtech, it has the retro-classic look t' it and really stands out in me collection. Blimey! It's tougher to build than some kits o' its size, but it's well worth it.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5